Coatesville's big opportunity: The next superintendent

Coatesville’s former superintendent scandal reminds us once again that everything one does in the dark, always comes to light. Hundreds of dedicated teachers, thousands of children eager to learn, and parents and taxpayers who only want the best for their community have been betrayed by two education leaders who thought nothing of using some of the most reprehensible, ugly language to describe their fellow professionals and the children they were supposed to be inspiring.

How could this happen in the 21st century? We know that racism still exists. Perhaps we’re so surprised because one of a superintendent’s jobs is to build on a community’s strengths. In Coatesville, the diversity of our school district is a strength from which other school districts could learn. That very diversity helps our children prepare for a global economy in the 21st century.

There is so much evidence of how our community and schools have moved beyond old, restrictive, damaging attitudes about race and religion. For instance, the Coatesville Youth Initiative and its successful Summer ServiceCorps are built around the idea that bringing diverse groups of teens together gives all of them the chance to be successful because they develop an appreciation and mutual respect for people who are racially, ethnically and economically different. We can testify to how much better prepared they are for the rapidly changing work world than many young people from homogeneous communities.

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Despite tremendous financial challenges, the CASD is working hard to maximize opportunities to partner with those of us in the community who can bring resources to the table. The foundation can’t begin to plug the gap created by state funding cutbacks, but we are here to help and we value our partnership.

The CASD has allowed us to provide technical assistance to support the development of school health councils, and joined area schools to implement the Pennsylvania Youth Survey so the community could better understand what programs and services are needed here. We’ve partnered to bring federal and state dollars in for family-strengthening and drug prevention programs. And, the district has not hesitated to use the services of valuable organizations we fund like Child Guidance Resource Centers, ChesPenn, Community Dental, and the Chester County Food Bank so that children in need get the services they deserve.

While it’s ultimately the children who are impacted by the choice of a superintendent, we and many other community institutions have a stake in the school board’s selection. That’s why we are speaking openly here. The search for a new superintendent is an opportunity not only to find the right person to lead us forward -- one who would never even consider using such damaging language, but even more importantly who has a modern view of the value of our diverse community.

It’s also an opportunity to embark on a new open course of communication with a community that deeply cares about our children’s future. Let’s conduct a careful search to find a superintendent who is a true education professional with 21st Century skills that our children can emulate. Coatesville’s children deserve nothing less.

(James H. Manning Jr. is a retired attorney with Sunoco, and chairman of the Board of Directors of the Brandywine Health Foundation. Frances M. Sheehan is president and CEO of the foundation, which is headquartered in Coatesville. For more info, click on www.brandywinefoundation.org.)